A runaway bride must fight for survival against her vengeful former fiancé and his seven deadly groomsmen in the new action thriller, ‘Til Death Do Us Part.’ The revenge film portrays the grim reality that not every romance story ends with happily ever after. In the ultimate horror showdown, the Groom and his groomsmen soon discover that his Bride has no intention of going back to the life together that she left behind.

 ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ was co-written by Chad Law (‘Black Water’) and Shane Dax Taylor (‘Isolation’), and directed by Emmy Award winner Timothy Woodward Jr. (Amazon Prime’s drama series, ‘Studios City’). The helmer also produced the new drama with ‘Final Destination’ series creator-scribe Jeffrey Reddick. The duo reunited on their latest movie together after they previously collaborated on the horror features ‘The Final Wish’ and ‘The Call.’

Cineverse is releasing the filmmakers’ latest project tomorrow, August 4 in select theaters nationwide. Cam Gigandet (‘Twilight,’ ‘Never Back Down’), Jason Patric (‘The Lost Boys,’ ‘Speed 2: Cruise Control’), Natalie Burn (‘Black Adam,’ ‘The Enforcer’) and Orlando Jones (‘The Time Machine,’ ‘Drumline’) will appear on screen in the genre-bending ensemble thriller

Woodward Jr. generously took the time this week to talk about directing and producing ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ during an exclusive interview over Zoom. Among other things, the filmmaker discussed that he was in part inspired to helm the feature because he enjoyed the script’s fun and edgy nature, and also wanted to work with Burn, who was already attached to play the Bride. The director-producer also mentioned that he enjoyed infusing the drama with a unique, unexpected score and visuals, including tantalizing stunts and locations.

Film Factual (FF): You directed the new action thriller, ‘Till Death Do Us Part,’ which was written by Chad Law and Shane Dax Taylor. What was it about the script and overall story that convinced you to helm the film?

Timothy Woodward Jr. (TWJ): I was looking for something fun to do, and the script came across my desk. It had a Def Leppard quote in it from ‘Love Bites,’ and that automatically got my attention.

I also knew Chad Law’s writing. We also talked about making the script fun and edgy, and he was down to do it. I think we then went into production about 60 days later, and it was fun.

FF: Once production on the drama began, how did you approach directing the feature?

TWJ: We wanted to have a good time. Finding the right locations, including the main house, the church and the yacht, was key.

We also wanted to make sure the cast was in place; we were lucky enough to get a really strong cast that worked together really well. Natalie Burn is great, as are Orlando Jones, Cam Gigandet, Jason Patric and D.Y. Sao. Ser’Darius Blain is also amazing as the Groom. We were able to get a really strong cast.

My approach was, let’s go in and have some fun. We had a 1950s music playlist that was given out to the actors. I said, “This is where we’re going to be at – we’re going to make something different. So let’s have a fun shoot.”

FF: Like you mentioned, ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ features a fun 1950s music playlist. How did you decide which songs to incorporate into the movie that would emphasize what’s happening in each scene?

TWJ: We had a lot of the songs picked out from the beginning of the production. We had different styles picked out because I didn’t want to do a typical action score; I wanted to go with songs like ‘Rock-In Robin’ while something was going on. We also had some Frank Sinatra songs.

The only song I couldn’t get cleared was ‘Only You,’ which I love. But I got another good replacement.

But the overall score was cool. I wanted this 1950s bubblegum feel because those songs are so happy that they can be a little bit terrifying. But we wanted to go with the happy, upbeat tempos.

I also chose a lot of Sinatra-style music because the guys are dapper throughout the story. So I always tried to go with that, and go against the grain a little bit, and do opposite stuff than what was expected for this type of film.

FF: Like you mentioned earlier, ‘Til Death Do Us’ features a diverse ensemble cast. How did you approach casting the actors for thethriller? Were any of the actors already attached when you signed on to direct the film?

TWJ: I was looking for something that I could collaborate with Natalie Burn on, and she actually sent me this script. So she was already attached when I signed on to direct the movie.

I cast everyone else who’s in the film. I’ve worked with Jason Patric before on (the 2017 action crime drama,) ‘Gangster Land,’ and had a good experience with him. I felt that he was perfect for his role

Cam Gigandet and Orlando Jones are also amazing. So everyone was cast after I signed on to direct the film, except for Natalie.

FF: Once the actors were cast, how did you approach working with them to build their characters and the overall story?

TWJ: We had a good time doing it. I think with anything, you come across some challenges. With this movie, we have a lot of stunts and fighting, but we didn’t have a lot of time to do it.

We had a lot of fun stuff to do with Neb Chupin and Pancho Moler, who play T Bone and Big Sexy. We had a lot of fun adding some of that comedy with them.

Also, the last dance that the Bride and Groom have is very challenging. It was a seven or eight-page scene while they were dancing. That was written to have them just standing and talking. I added the dance on the day. I told them, “We’re going to turn this into a dance while you talk,” and that was a challenge, since it wasn’t written that way.

FF: Speaking of the humorous banter that’s featured between the characters, particularly the Groomsmen, were the jokes featured in the script, or did the actors improv that dialogue?

TWJ: There was a lot of stuff that was written, but we also came up with a lot of stuff on the day. We came up with a lot of the stuff with Neb and Pancho either the day before or a couple of days before. I said, “Hey, let’s rock with this.”

A lot of the Best Man stuff was already written, but we also added a little bit here and there. I think the biggest thing was amping up the delivery of the flair and tone.

So there were some things that were already written and some things we added, but we definitely punched things up, for sure. It was more straight-forward horror and action elements than comedy, but we did have some humor in the film.

FF: Earlier you mentioned working with the actors on creating their stunts for the drama. How did you work with them to create those action sequences and their overall physicality for their roles?

TWJ: We looked at the rooms that we were in to see how the locations would influence the stunts and action sequences. Like in the house, we saw that we had a dresser, bed and books, so we decided to use all of them, and everything in the room in general.

We wanted to make the fights as animalistic as possible while also keeping them somewhat stylized. We wanted to make each individualized fight different, and also added some flair to them, based on where they were.

We had a great stunt coordinator and fight choreographer. Luckily for us, almost everyone could do their own stunts, and everyone did.

Natalie did all of her own stunts, except for a dirt bike fall and a slam over the head. She did every kick and punch, and we were lucky to have that. She even did the backflip off of the dresser. That made it easy; I could just point the camera and shoot, and not have to swap out the actors for stunt performers.

FF: Like you mentioned earlier, you shot ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ in several different locations, including the boat and house. What was the experience like of shooting the movie on location?

TWJ: Oh man, I got sea sick on the boat because we were out in the deep sea so that you can’t really see anything but the water. So everything you see on the boat was actually shot on the boat; it’s not set against a green screen.

The water is moving in big waves in the background because the boat is really rocking. I was literally holding on for dear life, trying to direct and run out to get sick overboard. Poor Jason Patric; I think at one point, I almost threw up and it almost hit him.

So those days out on the boat were a challenge, to be honest. We had a crew full of people on this beautiful 100-foot yacht, and I couldn’t handle it because I was so sea sick.

For the house, we tried to find a location that fit this log cabin style home that we envisioned. It had glass and its own unique character, so that we could light every room differently. It also had a lot of entrances and exits; in the front, there were three entrances. On the roof, there was also exits out of the windows and out across the top. So that was one thing that was cool about the house.

There were also these pathways between the places. Originally in the script, it was just a basement that you would see under the ground and just a log cabin. But I said, “There needs to be places where she can go across the bottom, and maybe she also walks across the roof, as well as places where she can hide that would make it interesting.” So it was pretty awesome when we found that house because it’s so unique.

FF: How did you work with the thriller’s cinematographer, Pablo Diez, to determine how you would visually shoot the project?

TWF: This is my twelfth or thirteenth collaboration with Pablo Diez. Him and I speak the same language at this point, and knew what style we were going for in the film.

We didn’t want to go with the typical action visuals; instead, we went with a more typical lighting schematic that’s seen in horror films during the home invasion part in the house. We also went with brighter colors for the yacht, beach and Puerto Rico setting of the move, to give it complete contrast back and forth.

We worked a lot with my production designer, Markos Keyto, to make sure the everywhere in the house had a section where there could be practical lights. While we did use film lights, we also used a lot of practical lights so that I had a lot of room to be free and roam around.

So we’d make it so that there would be a liquor cabinet that has a blue light inside of it. We also put glass cubes across where the key ring holder is to illuminate light. We also illuminated the yard with bulbs. We made sure that every section in every room had a different feel to it.

FF: Besides directing ‘Til Death Do Us Part,’ you also served as one of the producers. What was the experience like to balance the duties of both jobs during the film’s production?

TWJ: It was stressful! I live in Hollywood and get to make movies, so I can’t complain. But at the end of the day, I think about how when you’re on a set, everything is a lot more stressful than it is afterwards. So you look back at some of the challenges and learn to appreciate them.

One day, when we were going out on the boat, the boat captain just didn’t show up. We had a 50-person crew and the cast who were all ready, and the boat captain didn’t show up, and we lost half a day. That’s a very stressful situation for a producer.

So we had to pivot and try to figure things out. Luckily, I got to call the shots creatively because I’m the director, so I was able to pivot and adjust things.

So the answer is that it’s a blessing but also stressful. But again, I get to make movies. If I get to make movies and do something that I love for a living, I’ll take that stress. It’s all good!

FF: Cineverse is distributing ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ exclusively in theaters (today,) August 4. Why do you feel having a theatrical release is beneficial for this type of movie?

TWJ: It’s awesome. To be completely honest, for people to be able to watch the movie in a theater in the way that we shot it is the best feeling in the world.

You grow up going to the movie theaters. In theaters, people don’t have a pause button to use to go do something else. People also aren’t watching it on a small screen; instead, they’re watching it in a theater with people.

This has a lot of comedy to it, so it’s a good experience. Two things that go well in theaters are horror and comedy because you get to watch it with a group of people. This film has both of those elements, so I’m thrilled that it’s playing in theaters. It’s a small movie, so I’m very excited that people are going to get to see it in a theater.